Re: Rude Awakening!

Probably because they wouldn't be 'selective' in their kill. They would take other quarry too, they wouldn't just thin out rabbits.

At least with the birds of prey is one-to-one, and not heaps of horses and dogs and men all onto 1 defenceless creature.

Re: Rude Awakening!

Twizard, I fully understand your standpoint, my friend, but please allow me explain further, ok?. A wild Buzzard is little more than a 'caretaker/cleaner, ok?. They eat the carcasses of animals which have died in the wild...(imagine how the countryside might smell if these weren't cleared?)...and only occassionly will they chase down live quarry if no dead, rotten carcasses are available,ok?...(perhap's one or two rabbits per month, making no significant dent in a warren!).
Now, consider the Farmer, ok?...he work's his butt off all year to grow, and bring to market, a sufficient quantity of produce, (the veg, etc., you buy in the supermarket every week), but he's commonly plagued with Coney paratisation, so it MUST be controlled, ok?.
...and this is where we Falconer's enter the equation.
We breed and, eventually train, our birds to take sufficient quantities of coney's to ensure that the farmer will be able to continue to run a viable operation...ok so far?.

Now, why don't we just release them and allow them to kill for food for themselves?...well, they do...all the coney's they kill are used for exactly that purpose. but they take far more quarry from the fist than they would otherwise...and to release a captive-bred bird into the wild would be little short of cruelty...they simply wouldn't survive by themselves, having been hatched and reared in our mew's!...and, further, trained for their work!

Twizard, my friend, you've obviously read the two other methods of coney-control, so which of the three would you consider the more humane?.

Re: Rude Awakening!

Incidently, EVERYONE!...I feel I ought to make plain my views on other forms of hunting, ok?
our local hunt, (which I absolutely ABHOR!!!...), consist's of at least 50 riders, on 50 horses, and a pack of at least 50 hounds!...that, to me, mean's around at least 150 baying animals in pursuit of one terrified animal...and, to be honest, the whole Idea sicken's me!.
At least, when I slip a Hawk from my fist, I have no further control, and should one of my birds take quarry, it's one-to-one...(as it happen's, 9 times out of 10 they miss anyway...ask any Falconer!).

Re: Rude Awakening!

Oh, and one more point, if I may?...the next time you pop into a supermarket and buy a lettuce for 60p, instead of paying £2.48or so, please spare a thought for we Falconer's who're keeping the coney population down, ok?.

Re: Rude Awakening!

[QUOTE=Falconer;379553]Incidently, EVERYONE!...I feel I ought to make plain my views on other forms of hunting, ok?
our local hunt, (which I absolutely ABHOR!!!...), consist's of at least 50 riders, on 50 horses, and a pack of at least 50 hounds!...that, to me, mean's around at least 150 baying animals in pursuit of one terrified animal...and, to be honest, the whole Idea sicken's me!.
At least, when I slip a Hawk from my fist, I have no further control, and should one of my birds take quarry, it's one-to-one...(as it happen's, 9 times out of 10 they miss anyway...ask any Falconer!).[/QUOTE]


Exactly what I already said Falconer, and I for one, agree with you.